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by FetidCorpse



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Beau has no idea what is happening, Beau/Jester - Freeform, Bizarre Use of Tags by the Author, F/F, Gen, Long-Overdue Recognition, Pre-Relationship, The Xhorhouse, Validation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-18
Updated: 2020-03-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:47:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23201968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FetidCorpse/pseuds/FetidCorpse
Summary: The Mighty Nein begin to fracture when their spine spends a week away for training.  They learn to value her more after time spent apart.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 68





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“I'll be back in a week, Jes. I'll answer Sendings as long as Dairon or whoever I'm training with isn't beating the shit outta me.”

“Okay, okay, okay, but you have to come back as soon as you can.” Jester wraps her arms and tail around Beau before letting her go.  
“The Nein are my lodestone, Jessie, I'll always be drawn back to you.” She steps into Caleb's portal before Jester can decipher all the meaning in Beau's words.

The rest of the Nein don't even make it through lunch before the chaos starts. Veth, forgetting that Fjord does not have Beau's superhuman reflexes, shoots him in the shoulder twice while trying to hit a mushroom Caduceus tossed to Fjord. Fjord is understandably angry, and tensions between him and Veth simmer for the rest of the week.

Fjord himself manages to anger Caleb twice. First by practicing thunder step with his eyes closed. He fails to properly imagine his destination and winds up crashing through the table Caleb was scribing at. The second time was an attempt to get revenge on or prank Nott that also ensnared Caleb. Fjord cast hypnotic pattern over a puddle outside their front door, which lead Nott, Caleb, Frumpkin, and a few passersby to stand in the puddle staring at some bright lights. Fjord was lucky he didn't speak Zemnian, he didn't understand any of the horrible things Caleb said that he later apologized for.

Jester, herself, ran afoul of Caduceus. He wasn't angry, but that didn't leave her feeling any better when she tried to explain that she was only trying to flavor cupcakes with his tea. She didn't mean to use months' worth of tea. She went around to what graveyards there were in Rosohna, where consecution didn't always leave a body, but she didn't find anything to replace Caduceus's tea. The many sendings she sent Essek's way may have been responsible for his avoidance of the Xhorhouse during Beau's week away.

Yasha ruined a night's pleasure for Veth and Yeza, by misinterpreting their alone time as the sound of an attack against the group. One crushed door and an unconscious Yeza later–he fainted of fright at the sight of a dark angel crashing through the ruins of the Brenatto's bedroom door–Veth screamed at Yasha for disrupting their first night in Rosohna.

Caleb managed to earn Jester's ire by comparing the Traveler to Frumpkin. Yes, they're both Fey, but that doesn't mean they're the same. The Traveler can appear anywhere in any shape he pleases. Frumpkin changes and disappears when Caleb wants him to. He's not doing it himself. Jester fumed further when Caleb mentioned that Frumpkin comes back whenever he's killed and mused that the same might be true of the Traveler, but he might also stay dead when killed. Jester didn't like that at all, but she didn't hold it against Frumpkin.

Vendalla failed to inspire rage in any members of the Mighty Nein, but she mostly kept her head down among her new employers.

Caduceus himself also failed to enrage or even irk any other members of the party, but he did come to a realization. In several of the events above, he was unable to get through to the slighted party. That hadn't been a problem before. He came to realize that Beau was usually something of an intermediary. She may not have been able to assuage anyone's anger, but she blunted it. That was enough for the onetime resident of the Blooming Grove to work his calming influence. He resolved to pay attention to how Beau handled these situations. He'd never match her restless energy, or her bluntness, but he could learn from it. He'd been jokingly called the Sage of the Savalirwood a few times, but this series of events convinced him that he still had some work to do before he'd accept that title if it were applied with sincerity.

Vendalla realized that there was money to be made by taking bribes to aid one side or another in the Mighty Nein's antics, and resolved to play a part the next time chaos reigned in the Xhorhouse.

Caleb realized that the voice that brought him back to reality when he began musing on maters arcane and esoteric wasn't around.

Yasha realized that the person most likely to bluntly explain that they were unlikely to be in imminent danger in Rosohna so soon after arranging for peace with Dwendal's Empire.

Jester realized that her impulses were tempered or redirected when Beau was around.

Fjord realized that his trainer might have given him more useful exercises.

Veth realized that she has to be more careful with the Boltblaster when the person who always catches her errant bolts isn't around.

Beau didn't expect much fanfare upon her return to the Xhorhouse. The Mighty Nein didn't need her the way they did Caduceus, or Fjord, or Caleb, or Veth, or Yasha, or Jester, or even Frumpkin or Sprinkle.

How wrong she was.

“Beau!” It came from several people as she wearily opened the front door.

“I missed you!” Jester punctuates the words by crashing into Beau in a more forceful hug than even Beau was accustomed to.

“The same.” Fjord chimed in. “We needed a voice of reason and had none.”

“You didn't ask Caduceus? Why me?” Beau said from the floor.

Jester elected to answer, “Everyone was too wild, Beau. Veth shot Fjord. Fjord hypnotized Veth and Caleb AND Frumpkin. I ruined a lot of Caduceus's tea and Essek stopped answering my messages. Yasha broke into Veth and Yeza's room. Caleb made fun of the Traveler.” She huffed before continuing. “We didn't realize how much you keep things from getting out of hand. I'm sorry, Beau.” She stood, dragging Beau up with her.

Fjord was next. He, too, dragged Beau into a hug and said, “I'm sorry I didn't notice just how calm the crew is with you around. You'd make a good captain if you took to sea.”

“Captain Beau.” It didn't sound bad, but she preferred Expositor. No one would want to be part of her crew, anyway. “Who'd follow me?”

“We would.” Nott's voice came from waist-high and was accompanied by another hug. “We know you'll follow our lead, but we'd do the same.”

“What the shit is happening?”

“Our heads were in the dirt, but now they are clear, Beauregard.” Caleb's accent cut through the fog building in Beau's head. “We knew you were good at ferreting out secrets, the pugilism, and understanding people, but we know now that you are good for us. We are better for having known you, better with you.”

“I...” The fog was heavy. “I was gone for seven days. I thought things would get better for you if I left. It's not supposed to get better because I came back. It never has. Why would it start now?”

“Absence brings perspective.” Yasha, as usual, spoke softly. “You've always been there for us. It was only when you weren't that we saw everything you've done for us. We see it now, Beau.”

“Jester can you punch me, or cast inflict wounds or something? I need to know this isn't a dream.” Her voice was desperate, wanting this to be real but unable to accept it.

As Jester shook her head, Caduceus laid his hand on Beau's shoulder. “There's no price for this, Miss Beau. You don't need to suffer from us or for us in order for us to love you.”

“I'm not dreaming?” Her eyes were shimmering with unshed tears.

“Nope, it's all real, Beau.” Jester's face lit up and she turned to the rest of the Mighty Nein. “Group hug! Everybody squeeze Beau! Love you, Beau.”

The floodgates opened as she was swarmed and believed, for the first time, that she was loved. 


End file.
